My daughter and I bought her a Gateway laptop in 2005 and it has been great. Recently she knocked it off of the couch and one side of the monitor came loose. I tried putting it back together but got nothing. I brought it to work and our IS person looked at it and stated that I probably need to buy her a used one from eBay and transfer the data. She is almost 16 and I don't want to buy her a new one yet because when she starts college they will tell us what computer and software she needs. Help. Should I get it repaired or buy a used one and put the old data on it. If I buy a used one how much should I spend. I don't care about the manufacturer's name, I just want a reliable computer that will last until she goes to college. Thanks, Grace
Grace. Depending on what she does I would not pay over a couple hundred for a used laptop. Most times people are selling their problems. On the other hand. Not to mention names. Some of us can build laptops.:mrgreen:
Grace, I got a brand new Toshiba laptop from Best Buy for $350 a few weeks ago. Of course, it will be somewhat lacking in memory soon, but all I really needed it for was to do email and access the internet and I've had no problems. I'm SURE it's not the latest, greatest or fastest, but it gets the job done......CHEAP! I saw that they had a different brand on sale this week for about the same price.
Got roped into a lap top. The special was $599 and by the time DH got done "upgrading" EVERYTHING is was about 900 :? :? Damn techies :x Oh and the laptop hold our "music" :roll:
Grace, Don't get looped into the "college" con where you buy one from them They make what they offer sound good, but it's "not" the best deal. And probably, in 2 years your daughter will need another one anyway. For now buy one of the ones KDC1970 mentioned. The best bang for your buck right now is the Acer brand. They use the same component manufacturers as HP. Just a different case. Don't buy used unless you have a laptop expert for a friend to help. Believe it or not, the best deals are at Wal Mart. Mainly because of the cost of the extended warranty. A 2 year all inclusive warranty on a $400 machine is $69. HP and all the others are $300 & up. Choose the machine you want, but the warranty is the most important part. Just look at the situation your in right now. If you had the 2 year extension, your unit would be fixed for free. Likely with screen damage, you would get a newer model replacement. Have you checked to see if your unit is still covered and you don't know it?? You would not believe how many people bring me units to fix that are already covered. Go here, type in the serial number off the bottom of the laptop. http://support.gateway.com/support/allsysteminfo.asp Also when you buy a laptop do not use check or cash. M/C, Visa and AmEx all double the warranty period when you buy with the card. Check your credit agreement for specifics. AmEx is the best policy. It's not "all inclusive" (damage from drops or spills etc.) But you can request that your purchased extended coverage not start for 2 years you'll have a 4 year warranty. Resale on an insured laptop is 30% higher. Just remember, she's 16, and ask her how many times she's dropped her cell phone. Laptops take a lot off stress because they are mobile items. I know, I see the faces of many people that I quote the repair price to. The labor is cheap. The replacement part prices are unbelievable. For example, those $400 machines, to replace the LCD screen the parts are $300. Which makes that laptop a what? A good ole American throw-away item. PS: If a battery replacement plan is available and it's less than $80 a year , buy it. Batteries are the first thing to go (about 8 to 10 months) and they run about $125. Hope this helped. Dan
Thank you so much. I just read this off to my daughter and we need to absorb the information. No, her laptop is out of warranty now. That is the first checked on. Grace
Okay, the IS guy at work wrote down the ram and memory (gigabites?) I think and I cannot find the piece of paper. I am out on eBay and the North Carolina State Surplus websites but need to know how much of each I need. I do understand about getting one a Walmart but if I can pickup a real cheap one and transfer the data to get her by for a while it would be great. Need advise. Grace
Ram size will be dictated by how old the used machine is. Older units could only take a certain amount. I'll just give you a list of "minimums" that you want. ╣1.2GHz processor (minimum) ╣20 or 30 GIG Hard drive ╣512 MB Ram (1 gig would be better) ╣CD/RW drive (make sure it's RW if there is no floppy drive) ╣14.1" screen (15" if it's not going to be carried around much) ╣802.11g wireless network (802.11b will work) If not wireless you need an external card for around $20. I have some if you need one. ╣Windows XP home edition sp2 ╣A BATTERY THAT WORKS FOR AT LEAST 30 min. (Before buying, start it and wait till it dies and check the time) ╣A touchpad mouse (No little mouse stick in the keyboard!!!) The most important item ..... IT MUST HAVE THE ORIGINAL CD's THAT CAME WITH IT !!!!! Without them you have no operating system to reload or the drivers which are very specific to each model. Laptop drivers are like a spouse. There's only one that works for you. (unless your Liz Taylor) If the seller has the original box it came in, it's a good sign that they take care of things. You should not pay more than $300 for the above spec's. Finding one with a good battery is a miracle. I don't know how to stress the importance of "not" buying a used laptop from EBAY or over the web from any site other than the unit manufacturers. If you're going to buy used, do yourself a favor and do it local. I use Craig's List for good deals. Here's a couple: a fair unit .. http://raleigh.craigslist.org/sys/448153530.html $350 a good unit .. http://raleigh.craigslist.org/sys/448055193.html $450 PS: I have a nice used machine. It's well above those minimums but I think still within your budget. PM me for specifics.
